Life Update | Finding that work/social life balance!

Hello Creatives!

So I have now started week FIVE of my new job! How on earth has that flown past so quickly?! I adore my job and everything that comes with it – the people, the atmosphere, learning something new everyday… it’s fantastic!

The one thing that I am still learning however, is how to cope with seeing less of my better half. I get up in the morning at 7am, head off to work at 8am then don’t get home till around 6.30pm. George makes me dinner every night, we talk about our days, and by 9pm I’m already tucking myself into bed because I’m just so tired! I finally appreciate weekends!

Also, having to go to public places on weekends because that’s the only free time you have to go shopping is horrible.. I can’t handle the crowds!

I also find that with having to dress myself up and look presentable everyday of the working week, I just want to be in comfy clothes for the weekend.. my casual sense of style has flown out the window!

And lastly, but definitely not least, I HAVE NO TIME TO CROCHET! This makes me so sad. I have mittens I’ve made Georges brother (I say made but they’re not finished yet) that are the colours of the football team he supports that stare at me every evening but I just don’t have the energy to pick them up! They were originally for Christmas, then for his birthday (which is tomorrow) and now it looks like they’ll just be a ‘oh I made these for you for no special occasion’ present! (Which isn’t such a bad thing).

Adjusting to full time working life as well as a brand new location at the same time is hard. I won’t lie, there’s been a fair share of tears that George has had to wipe away and tell me everything will be okay, but I just don’t love this place as much as I loved Nottingham. Maybe that’s because I don’t know it yet and I’ve not had the chance to explore? Maybe it’s because it’s so much more expensive due to it being commuter belt to London? Who knows. I know I love my job and I know I come home everyday to the person I love, so what else do I really need – I shouldn’t be greedy.

Anyway, once I FINALLY get my act together (or you could say settle into a routine) and finish the mittens/gloves, I’ll be sure to show you them!

Life update complete!

How do you balance your work and social time? Any tips? Also, enjoy the picture/featured image of our new kitchen… it’s pretty dreamy. (P.s. we now have the worlds smallest washing machine – more on that another time – and bar stools!)

Until next time,

Love Lana xxx

Nottingham Yarn Expo 2017

Hello Creatives!

As an ecologist my job takes me all over with lots of overnight stays, and the last location I was placed at was Leicestershire! The area of Leicestershire that I was based at was only 45 minutes away from my old home grounds of Nottingham, and coincidentally was also over the days of the Nottingham Yarn Expo 2017, which I 100% could not miss!!

I bought a ticket online as soon as I found out, and once I’d finished work on Saturday (11th November) morning I quickly got back to my hotel, freshened up, and was off on my way to the expo!

The venue was filled with colour, beautiful hand dyed yarns, crafts of other sorts and passion – everyone was wearing one of their own handmade items, and many took a break to continue knitting or crocheting their latest projects!

I spent close to 4 hours there, taking time to look at every stall, and squishing every ball of yarn I possibly could! (The alpaca merino mix is still my favourite)

I managed to capture a few photos at the beginning of the event, because as time went on, the more engrossed I became!!

Some people even made all their yarn from their own sheep!

I also managed to find some t-shirt yarn! Which although I didn’t buy, I now know where to get!! The yarn below is one that seriously caught my eye! I was so close to purchasing it but I just couldn’t do it as I didn’t know what project I wanted to use it for, and it was so bright and exciting, it would have to be a project to gift! (Christmas is coming around so perfect timing!) I did however then sign up to their mailing list and got a scratch card, in which I won 10% off my next online order… PERFECT!

One thing I really did notice, was that the majority of the stalls at the expo were more about knitting than crochet, and there were a crazy amount of example knit socks! I would never had said this before, but it seriously inspired me to give knitting a go – again… for the hundredth time – but this time using the magic loop technique on the laced knitting needles!

As much as I wanted to purchase one of the home dyed yarns, they did average about £15 per skein, and I seriously didn’t know if the whole sock knitting thing is something I’d stick to/enjoy! So I figured I’d pick up some needles, and a cheaper ball of yarn (that still creates a wicked pattern) and give it a shot. If I stuck to it, then I’d go online and buy buy buy!

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Here’s the yarn and the stall I purchased it from! I’m very excited to start my socks, and I’ll keep you updated on how that goes!

Here’s all my purchases from the day, and I’m impressed with myself for not buying endless amounts of wool!

P.s. that little gadget is a row counter, if you hadn’t already guessed! And it attaches to your finger – I love it!

After attending my first yarn expo, I can’t wait to have a google of more yarn or craft expos around me, i thoroughly enjoyed it!

I’ve attended to photograph the business cards of the stall in each photo and placed it below the photo, just incase you want to have a nosy at their websites! I have a few other cards that I picked up along the way that I didn’t manage to capture a photo of their stall, but if I find myself using them, I’ll definitely give you all the details!

P.p.s. I’m still buzzing from this event, is that super lame?

Until next time,

Lana xxx

And breath….

Hello Creative!

Guess what?! MY MASTERS DEGREE IS COMPLETE! That feels sooooooooo good to say! I submitted my thesis last Monday, celebrated so hard that it took me 2 days to recover, and now I’m enjoying all the guilt free sofa time!

I popped to our local Aldi (a cheap supermarket, for those who don’t live in the U.K.) as a little birdie told me that they were selling 400g balls of yarn (or packs of 4 x 100g balls) for £3.99!!! Bargain!… and picked up more than I could carry!

So far I have only tested out their baby yarn, which is super soft, and this was the outcome!

I’m in love with this little guy! I haven’t a clue what animal he’s meant to be, but I don’t care! You can’t really tell in the photos, but the cream has shiny flecks all through the wool which are surprisingly not scratchy!

I also attached (in a very strange way) my label to its booty, however, I really do want to look into the faux leather style labels as the ones I have are a nightmare to attached to crocheted items… especially chunky ones! (Suggestions very welcome!)

Below is another one of the many balls of wool I picked up (a total of 1.2kg worth!) and I can’t wait to see what patterns this candy floss coloured ball of fluff can make!

So there’s a little update on my life and my crochet projects! I have a very busy few weeks coming up, including moving house, and now that I’ve picked up the hook again I can’t imagine it will be put down any time soon! I will surely keep you updated.

Until next time,

Lana xxx

I Tried Rug Punching!

Hello Creatives!

So I've heard many names (I believe latch hooking may be one?) and seen different techniques but I've given it a go with what I have, and I have found that I love Rug Punching! I've also found it's a great way to use old scraps of yarn that are too short to crochet!

So don't go getting all excited and expect some wonderful creation, I've simply spelt out LOVE on a piece of burlap/hessian and forgotten to take photos of my progress…

Or maybe I'm saving that for another post

I used a crochet hook as I am yet to purchase a rug punching tool (which looks totally cool, in a really nerdy way)

Here we go:

I did this completely free hand, as apparently I don't own pencils anymore! However I managed to get myself some and then proceeded to add some floral decoration to the outside by drawing outlines to follow!

I haven't decided if I want to fill the background in yet as I love the way it looks currently and I may end up turning it into a wall hanging or frame it!

I'll post an update once I've decided what I'll do next… or if I can't decide and need some opinions!

Rug punching seems to be growing in popularity lately, and I want to make a stool cover/topper at some point! But unfortunately my Masters Thesis deadline is fast approaching and I have some serious writing to do – I reaaaaaally don't want to!!!

Have any of you tried it before?

Until next time,
Love Lana xxx

My First Crochet Pillowcase

Hello Creatives!

On the 2nd of July it was my 22nd birthday so George and I decided to jump on a plane to Spain to spend it with my family! I really wanted to bring a gift along with me, but had been so busy that I hadn’t been able to pick anything up, so naturally I decided to crochet something! 

I started the night before we flew off, and realised I wouldn’t be able to finish my project before we had to leave, so I decided to bring it with me!

I decided to crochet a pillowcase that matched the houses ‘theme’. 

Here was my view whilst I crocheted away on the plane:

They loved it! I’ve found that I’m not the best at joining squares together. It seems to be even whilst I do it, then once I’ve joined it all together I just don’t think it looks right!

Above is my pillow case on the sofa in our Spanish home!

Any improvements I could make? I should have taken a photo of the back, but the pillow is fully removable so that the case can be washed if needed!

Love lana xxx 

How I organise my yarn!

Hello creatives! 

So up until a week ago, my yarns were A MESS. I kept getting new baskets to put it al in, but because I’m not organised enough they’d get all tangled and I’d forget half of the stuff I owned because I couldn’t see it! I’m sure you’ve all been there…

But after managing to kill my Aloe Vera plant (mum replanted it when she visited and it DID NOT agree with its new soil) and wanting to replace it, my boyfriend and I made a little trip to IKEA – my favourite place!

We left without the aloe vera plant (whoops), with some new sofa throws, a table runner, some tongs, AND MY NEW CREATION STATION! 

I wasn’t even looking for a new way to stash my yarn, however – you can fight me about this – thanks to the BEST BOYFRIEND IN THE WORLD, I was treated (without any prompting, and he was the one that suggested it) to my wonderful new storage: 

It’s still a little messy, some colours have now been used and I’ve added few more additions to the stash (he was kind enough to point out that I was missing a ‘proper’ orange 😂) but I am ECSTATIC about it. 

The rail which normal people would use for clothes was £6.50 with each column of pockets at £4 each! – just incase there’s any of you who like it as much as I do and live in a place that’s tight for space… (but we’re moving soon, woohoo!).

I couldn’t not share this, it brings me so much joy! And I’m so glad the other half is so supportive of my messy hobby, he’s even agreed to let me have a crafts room in the new place – A WHOLE ROOM FOR CRAFTS! 

I’m currently working on a granny square blanket in different tones of grey after a bit of inspiration from Pinterest, which I will definitely be sharing with you once it looks more like a blanket and less like a hankercheif 😂

Lana xxx 

My very first stall!

Hello creatives, 

Long time no see/write! I’ve been super duper stressed with my masters second semester deadlines fast approaching (and counting for a third of my masters degree 😭!). However, I have been busy crocheting away as today I held my first stall! 

It was held at my university campus, and was the first of its kind – BRACKFEST! 

My campus is beautiful and very much an agricultural/environmental based campus with grounds to compliment the courses of course! There were so many other things going on such as tracktor rides, a petting zoo, a climbing wall, live music and food! 

Anyway, back to my stall! Here’s a photo f a sad excuse of a stall! I was so underprepared as I only decided I wanted to take up on the offer of a stall (all free of cost) two weeks before the event! Silly silly me… ! Also, look at my stalls view! Wonderful! 

Despite thinking it was awful, it was apparently a hit! I even had some requests which I managed to finish within the period of the event as well as a few asking for my contact details! All in all, I sold everything apart from one headband and one hat – I’d say that’s a WIN! 

Because I managed to sell so much, the lady in the stall next to me kindly offered to keep an eye on mine so that I could have a look around the rest of what was going on! 

Here’s a few photos of what else I got up to (yes.. I got my face painted!):

Thanks for stopping by! I can’t wait to tell you about my new loom knitting rings I purchased and fingers crossed a post about getting a job! (The job search is currently ON!) 

Love, Lana xxx

I Tried Tunisian Crochet!

Hello, Creatives!

So I’ve recently given Tunisian Crochet a go, and I absolutely love it! I’m currently doing it on regular crochet hooks, but my Tunisian Crochet hooks are on their way in the post! I love how similar it looks to knitting, but isn’t! 

Here’s theee different stitches I’ve managed so far (I can’t for the life of me remember the names of them): 

Is it just me or does Tunisian Crochet work a lot quicker than other forms? I’d love to make a blanket or a cardigan out of Tunisian Crochet! 

Have any of you tried it? And tips, advice or fun things to make with it?

I’m horribly sick with the flu currently, bundled up on the sofa with a toilet roll and constant hot drinks! But Crochet is keeping me going haha! 

Love, Lana xxx 

My first commissioned piece!

Hello creatives,

So recently I was asked if I could help out with a birthday present. They said they looked everywhere for a nice toy camel but couldn’t find anything nice or cheap enough to give as a birthday present, so they approached me! ME! 

Now as you may have seen, I have only ever made a teddy bear (and a rabbit, which was pretty much a bear with long ears) soft toy, so a camel was something completely new! Oh – and they requested a 2 humped camel!

I dove straight in, googled photos of camels and wondered how on earth I was going to start. I began with single crochet (US Terms) and realised it would take too long and was turning out a lot smaller than I’d hoped, so started over with double crochet. 

Here he is in all his glory after 3 evenings of creating:

What do you think? I managed to write the pattern out for his legs but failed to get the body or head, oops! 

I’m quite impressed with myself and the girl who received it was pretty chuffed also! Bit of pocket money for something I enjoy makes me so happy!

Love, Lana xx

And I’m off!

Sooo I really wanted to put up another update post before today, but typical me left it last minute, and now I’m finding myself in the queue to board my flight to Spain attempting to get my post up!

Silly silly me…

Well here’s a mini update, as I’ll put a proper one when I next get internet connection!

Mittens = COMPLETE AND GIFTED! Oh boy am I proud of myself for finishing the second mitten!

Chinky ribbed beanie = COMPLETE

Excuse the wonky photo! I also hadn’t previously mentioned I was making this as I didn’t think I’d be making anymore hats till next winter!

Right I must go as I’m boarding my plane woohoo! Update you again soon!

Lana xxx